Mobility, Housing Decisions and Economic Status of the Elderly in Taiwan

The elderly suffered the uncertainty of health, losing spouse or wealth accumulation as they aged. In aging and low fertility society, how to increase elderly financial resources and satisfy their needs for everyday lives so that they can age with dignity is a very important issue. The homeownership rate is almost 85% or more in Taiwan. Some elderly households are housing rich but cash poor, the housing wealth could be converted to the living expense if they want. This study would like to explore the relationships between the housing tenure decisions after moving and economic status for the elderly. Both the economic financial needs and bequest behavior would have impacts on the housing decisions for the elderly. This study employs the multinomial choice models and the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Middle Aged and Elderly in Taiwan.